Darius Latham (middle) has played his way into a likely roster spot. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

OAKLAND — Jack Del Rio has a counterpoint — and a fair one — to the talk that the Raiders have built a talented roster from which it will be tough to make cuts.

“There are a few undrafteds that have a chance to make the roster,” Del Rio said after the Raiders’ 23-21 loss to the Seattle Seahawks to close the preseason. “If you have a really stacked roster, that’s typically not the case.”

While true, the Raiders do have a better roster than at any point in years past and the undrafted players with a shot speaks more to general manager Reggie McKenzie’s knack for uncovering some hidden gems. Continue Reading →

Jalen Richard is one of five Raiders to watch Saturday against the Titans. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

OAKLAND — On a roster that entered training camp fairly settled, the Raiders’ Saturday night tilt with the Tennessee Titans is the last chance for some players to make an impression.

Rosters will get cut from 90 players to 75 on Tuesday, a precursor to the more difficult drop to the 53-man roster following the final preseason game.

Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said he plans to play the starters at least for the first half and possibly into the third quarter against Tennessee, so those roster battles will take place mostly in the fourth quarter. Continue Reading →

DeAndre Washington and fellow rookie running back Jalen Richard will get time with the starting offense Saturday. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)

While the Raiders don’t plan to give away any state secrets on Saturday against the Tennessee Titans, the starters will see a fair amount of work.

“We expect them to probably play a half, maybe a little more,” coach Jack Del Rio said Thursday. “We’ll see.”

The starters already played the whole first half in last week’s preseason loss to the Green Bay Packers and this is likely their final tuneup before the regular season opener Sept. 11. Very few, if any, starters should see action when the exhibition schedule concludes Sept. 1 against Seattle. Continue Reading →

On the debut episode of Inside the Oakland Raiders, Bay Area News Group’s Courtney Cronin, Jimmy Durkin and Jerry McDonald dive into Week 3 of the preseason and the Raiders major areas of focus: enabling the run, stopping the run and getting to the quarterback. Continue Reading →

The Raiders are excited to have back Jalen Richard after missing two weeks with a knee injury. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

ALAMEDA — Jalen Richard’s return to the Raiders practice field was a welcome site for offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave.

“It really reminded us of what we’ve missed the last two weeks of practice with him not being there,” Musgrave said.

This isn’t a projected starter for the Raiders that he’s talking about. Rather it’s an undrafted rookie running back. That tells you what type of impression the Southern Miss product has made despite missing the first two preseason games with a minor knee injury. Continue Reading →

Cooper was on the field and stretched with the team, but was wearing shorts and a hooded sweatshirt underneath his jersey. He did not have a helmet.

The Raiders’ second-year receiver, who had 72 catches for 1,070 yards and six touchdowns last season, watched as the team went through individual drills during the portion of practice open to the media. Continue Reading →

Mario Edwards Jr. (97) suffered his serious neck injury last time the Raiders and Packers met. He’ll sit this one out with a hip ailment while Ben Heeney (51) will suit up. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

Defensive end Mario Edwards Jr., tight end Gabe Holmes and running back Jalen Richard will not suit up for the Raiders in Thursday night’s exhibition game against the Green Bay Packers.

Raiders’ safety Karl Joseph may play in the preseason opener after all. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

The Raiders announced three players who will not suit up for Friday’s exhibition opener against the Arizona Cardinals and safety Karl Joseph isn’t among the them.

Running back Jalen Richard, safety Jimmy Hall and cornerback Antonio Hamilton are the three who won’t suit up at University of Phoenix Stadium. Richard missed Wednesday’s practice for undisclosed reasons and Hall has missed the past four practices. Continue Reading →